I mention in a previous post that I budget by paycheck. I started doing this around 2005, after creating a monthly budget for a while and not feeling like I had a good handle on it (because I was busting my budget).

Lately, I have been asked a lot about how to increase credit score to get a mortgage. Last week. I talked about how your credit score is calculated. This week we will focus on activities that will help raise your score. Before we get into the details I really want you to understand that your credit score report is not the same as your friend's score and report.

Some people have been misinformed that good credit equals financial independence. It doesn't. Those are two different things but having good credit can help you get to financial independence faster because bad credit causes you to pay more in interest (especially if you want to get a mortgage to buy a house) which takes away from your disposable income

Every year, in December, I cash in all the loose change I saved for the year, at the Coinstar Machine and it is usually between $60 - $100. I probably would have more if I would completely commit to saving my change (if it is still in my wallet I may use it on purchases). I will challenge myself to save all of my loose change for the month in January and see what happens.

Do you have a goal of buying a home? Well, I have joined a great community of personal finance bloggers who are dedicated to helping you save your down payment.

The goal is to motivate our readers to save a total of $1 Million dollars towards their down payment within the next year. Everyone in the community has great tips to share to help you reach your goal of buying a home.

This week is America Saves Week, it’s so important to get the message of saving out there because at last check women of color have an average net worth of $5. There has also been a study that stated 46% of Americans does not have the savings to cover a $400 emergency. My goal is always to build the foundation for my readers so they can build wealth on a solid foundation.

Did you “forget” to file your taxes for a few years and now you’re scared to file. Well, you can’t live like this forever so it’s time to see where you stand. The last thing you want to do have the IRS realize you didn’t file and have them file for you. When the IRS filed for you, they don’t apply all of the deductions and credits you actually qualify for (because they don’t know what you qualify for), so that may put you in a worse position than actually filing it yourself.

Last week I wrote a post on what to do with your tax refund, but I also wanted to cover the options available to you actually owe taxes. So first things first, if you owe this year and you didn’t sell a house, take realized gains from stock accounts, have a surge in income, etc. then you need to fill out a new W-4 with your employer, if you already claim 0 exemptions then you may want to request to have a set dollar amount withheld. If you are self-employed you may want to consider making quarterly payments to the IRS

Now that we are at the beginning of tax season, some of you may be expecting a refund and I may ruffle a few feathers but you’re just getting back your money that you should have received during the year anyway